


Road to Nowhere

by Angelleap77



Series: In All The Wrong Places [2]
Category: Trolls (2016)
Genre: Abuse, Blood and Violence, F/F, F/M, Flashbacks, M/M, Mental Anguish, Multi, Rape/Non-con Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-04
Updated: 2019-04-28
Packaged: 2020-01-04 17:38:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 12
Words: 13,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18348482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelleap77/pseuds/Angelleap77
Summary: What remains of the Aspen colony continues its journey East. Will they make it to the mountain stronghold in one piece? Many have already fallen, many more to fall in time. who will be strong enough to make it to their destination?





	1. chapter 1

The colony was lost. They had continued East like Sky tried to tell them, trying hard to not double back to fight for the return of their King. Sky had already told them that Branch had planned this, that if anything happened to him, they were to continue on and try to reach King Peppy's colony. Sky looks around, monitoring where they were and keeps heading East, seeing no signs of the other colony as of yet. It had already been a few hours since they left Branch behind and he already felt guilty abandoning his twin, regardless of what he had been told. He didn't want to leave him behind. The looks of the colony was enough to indicate they weren't happy with this either. He turns a moment and faces them to let them know about what was discussed earlier.

"I can see many of you don't agree with what has occurred. Honestly, neither do I. Branch asked me to make sure all of you were kept safe in case this occurred. He already had made plans to use himself as a decoy to keep Tourmaline from following what's left of us. I know many of you want to go back and save Branch. So do I, but we need to keep going until we are clear of Tourmaline's lair. Last I heard, his lair extends to the river several miles to the East of us. If we continue on day and night, we should reach the other end of the lair no later than tomorrow evening. I know you're all tired and so am I, but we have to do this for Branch. He told me a couple days ago that he would do whatever it takes to get away from Tourmaline and if possible, to kill him so no trolls ever would have to worry about being tortured or killed ever again. There are many traps in this area, so it's possible that some of us may not make it out of this area alive. I'm not going to give you all false hope and say that all of us will make it. There is a chance that many of us won't. If and when we find King Peppy's colony, we will then decide on what to do about saving Branch. Until then, I'm certain Branch would want us to continue going East and get out of this area as quickly as possible."

Sky could easily see the conflict in the eyes of many of the colony. They all agree to what he said though and start moving towards the East again. They knew it would be a harsh trail and one that some of them might not survive. They hated the idea of having to go this way, but figured it was better than trying to travel through Bergen territory. They hadn't seen a Bergen in a couple months and were hoping to keep it that way. 

As another hour passed, they encountered a network of traps, some hidden and others not. They were easily able to avoid the ones visible, but several trolls were caught in the hidden ones while trying to avoid the others, being yanked to pieces in the process, littering the ground with fresh blood and body parts. The remaining colony members stick close together, traveling the area where the traps had already been set off. They figured that if the trap was already gone, then there wouldn't be another under it. One unlucky troll found out the opposite and got caught in a net that was under one of the traps. The net was made of barbed wires and was self tightening. The net, once it had its victim, shoved the barbed wires into the troll at every location possible. Many of the wires pierced the throat, chest, lung area, ribs, stomach, and groin, effectively causing the troll to bleed out in moments. It was a slow way to die and extremely painful. The wires though were coated in poison to hasten the demise of the troll caught within.

Sky tries to get around some of the traps, getting grazed across his already hurting leg by a sharp wire covered vine. His leg had been hurting for hours now and he knew it wasn't his injury either. Branch had been hurt, but he wasn't wanting to tell the colony about his talent of feeling the pain of his twin. If they knew of his spiritual ability, or even that of Branch, they might question their ability to lead. Neither King Aspen nor Queen Cherry had been spiritual in any regards. Neither had their parents or grandparents, so where Sky and Branch got their spiritual gifts from, he wasn't sure. He was actually questioning if King Aspen was even their real father at that point. There was only one other spiritual troll in their colony and he was named Cyprus. Not too many in the colony liked him much because he was always trying to warn them about things he felt approaching. They never believed him till it was too late. Cyprus also had been very fond of the Queen, not in a perverted way, but in a caring way. Sky was actually wondering if maybe Cyprus was his and Branch's father rather than King Aspen, but now was not the time to debate it.

It took the rest of the daylight hours and all night before they settled to rest. They had cleared the trap field, but they still were a couple miles away from the river. Sky couldn't help but wonder how Branch was doing. Just thinking about his twin caused him to feel Branch's current pain and he cringed feeling where the pain spots were at that point. Luckily it seemed Branch hadn't been taken advantage of yet, but it was just a matter of time. Sky's leg starts throbbing again along with his right arm. He peeks over at the other trolls, seeing many of them already sound asleep. Cyprus was close by and seemed to be meditating. It was obvious he was keeping an ear open for problems though as his ears occasional twitch in random directions. Getting a good look at Cyprus, Sky notices the light blue skin and almost purple toned hair, very similar to his own and Branch's colors. King Aspen had been nothing like them, having been reddish orange with brownish red hair. He shudders a moment as his body tells him that Branch was having issues again. He curls into a ball, trying to block out the pain that he was feeling, only to realize he couldn't. The pain was only increasing and it intensified moments later when a sharp bolt of pain shot up his spine.

...  
*shudders and hides*


	2. chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch has a flashback from a couple days ago prior to a traumatizing experience

Having flashbacks was no fun, especially for someone who didn't want to recall them. Being held captive and being reminded constantly about the choices made didn't help. Branch shakes his head, trying to eliminate the thoughts plaguing his head. He could feel Sky's apprehension even from this distance, knowing that Sky felt his pain as well. He hangs his head a moment as he recalls once more what happened less than 2 days prior.

'He had gotten dragged into the cave, being forced onto the rough ground and sprawling across it. He looks up and see's body parts everywhere on one side of the cave and a warm fire not too far away from him. Off to another side was a small flowing stream which created a cascading waterfall pool in the corner, quite the lovely sight were it not for his current situation. Looking back towards Tourmaline, he notices the evil smirk on his face, the words coming from his mouth creating a feeling a dread in his stomach. "You are mine, King Branch. I won't claim you today, but I will ensure you can't run away from me." As Tourmaline had approached him, he felt sick to his stomach fearing what may be ahead. Tourmaline grabs him by the leg and twists sharply, effectively breaking the bone in Branch's lower leg, causing him to scream out in pain. The pain was so intense, he had collapsed and went unconscious, thoughts of his colony and brother the last coherent things to pass his mind before pain and darkness consumed him.'

It was almost a day later when Branch had woken up, feeling sore all over and thirsty. He glances around, seeing Tourmaline over by the fire, and then glances towards the water and sighs considering how far it was from his current location. Hearing the soft sound, Tourmaline approaches him and notices him look towards the water. Getting the hint on that, he retrieves a cup of the cold water and brings Branch into a sitting up position, passing him the water in the process. "As long as you don't try anything funny, I won't have to continue hurting you. If you disobey however, you won't like what I will do to you." He smirks slightly as Branch trembles while drinking the water. "Don't worry, the water isn't tainted. It's a natural spring so it can't be tainted in any way because it's constantly flowing." He takes the cup again after Branch was done and looks him over, seeing the small scars along various areas of his arms and legs, indications of the traveling he had done over the last year. Even gray, he couldn't help but admire how smooth the skin looked and lightly runs his hands across some of the bare skin.

Branch, wanting none of that, smacks the hand away and growls at Tourmaline, not caring what might happen to him at that point. He didn't want to be touched by this guy. Tourmaline however, not liking the reaction decided he was going to punish him. He smacks Branch across the face, twines their hair together, slams Branch onto his stomach, then yanks his pants down and shoves himself inside him, delighting in the scream of pain he gained from it and the blood he could feel trickling down as well. He continued to enjoy himself for at least an hour, not caring about the whimpers of pain coming from Branch or the amount of blood running down his legs. "Obviously you have never mated before. That makes this all the more exciting for me, knowing I am the first to claim you and likely will be the only one to ever enjoy you. I will never willingly let you leave my lair. I know your true colors and the baby you could produce with your colors and mine would be absolutely stunning." He continues slamming into Branch while he spoke, noticing the shudders of disgust and pain going through Branch as he did so. "I will make sure to it that you are pregnant before I leave you be, even if I have to rape you every day... which I likely will anyways. Even if by some miracle you manage to kill me and escape, as long as I get you pregnant, you will always be stuck with a reminder of this time here with me."

For the next couple hours, he continued to have his way, flopping Branch down onto a bed of soft leaves once he was satisfied for the moment, not caring how much Branch was bleeding at that moment. He gets up and cleans himself up and gets redressed before looking at Branch again and realizing the extent of the bleeding. He walks over and tends to that so there wasn't any chance of Branch bleeding out before laying a blanket over top of his bare bottom. "Rest for now. I will have more fun with you later."

Tourmaline walks over to a shelf that was carved out of part of the rock wall and looks through the colony member pictures. He had recalled the faces of many of them and had noticed Cyprus, who bore an uncanny resemblance to both Branch and Sky. He looks over the information on Cyprus. "Let's see here, Cyprus SilverLake, spiritual troll. Able to sense emotions, feel pain of anyone linked to him, able to see aura's, and can sense when evil approaches. Interesting." He looks through the papers again and looks up the info on Branch and Sky. "Branch and Sky... no known information. Son's of King Aspen and Queen Cherry. Somehow, I am seriously doubting that." He puts the pictures of Cyprus and Branch side by side and notices the similarities. "Well, well... dear Cyprus.. you were a bad boy." Glancing over at Branch to make sure he was asleep, Tourmaline hides the pictures and information, hoping that Branch really was asleep and hadn't heard anything that he had said. He seriously didn't want Branch to know that there was a strong chance of Cyprus being his real father and not King Aspen. Being born from the Queen though still made Branch and Sky royals, but having a father other than the King might be a problem for them later, if they were to ever find out the truth.

...  
*gulps* poor Branch...


	3. chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch tries to come up with ideas on how to escape

He had to pretend to be asleep, he just had to. If Tourmaline knew he was awake, it could spell disaster for him. He was in severe pain from having been raped for several hours and was now listening intently while he kept his eyes shut. He could easily hear Tourmaline mention something about Cyprus and how he was a bad boy. He wasn't sure what he meant by that, but he was sure he'd eventually find out the truth. He had to come up with ideas on how to get away from this area and away from Tourmaline. His knife that was usually kept hidden in his hair had been easily found upon his capture, so his original idea of cutting Tourmaline's throat was now out of the question. Hearing his captor shuffling through some papers, he does a quick peek over his shoulder, seeing Tourmaline shuffling through pictures. He could partly make out his own picture being placed side by side with Cyprus' picture and notices the similarities right away as well. Turning away quickly, he pretended once again to be unconscious.

His mind was going crazy and was giving him random ideas. He had already been captive for 2 days and was dreading how long it would take before he could escape. His leg being broken would most certainly slow down his progress to catch up to his colony. He just hoped they were all okay at this point. His decision to stay and be the decoy for Tourmaline was now coming back to haunt him. He knew full well that his colony members likely would berate him on his choice and call him foolish and reckless. He had done this for them though, to keep them safe and allow them time to escape. The more he thought about things, one gruesome idea came to mind...ripping out Tourmaline's throat with his teeth. As disgusting as that sounded to him, he knew it was likely the only option he had. How would he manage to do that though? Tourmaline seemed to enjoy taking him from behind, making him face away from him. He likely did that for safety reasons, an idea which Branch knew would be the most logical. No captor would want to risk putting themselves in danger by having their victims facing them when torturing them in any way.

The only idea Branch could think of at that point was to do the unthinkable.. seduce his captor, make him think he enjoyed being taken by him and then use that to his advantage. Tying up Tourmaline's hands with his hair would be an idea, that way Branch could rip out the guys throat without Tourmaline being able to do anything about it. He shudders a moment thinking about it, a movement not gone unnoticed by Tourmaline.

Tourmaline walks over seeing the shudder, thinking Branch was simply cold from being naked and only partly covered, and pulls the blanket further up causing Branch to jerk away from being startled. A light chuckle from Tourmaline was the response to that. "My my.. little jumpy are we? Maybe you have more energy than I gave you credit for." He moves the blanket a bit and glides a hand over Branch's bare bottom, causing the young King to jerk away from his touch and hiss in pain. He still hurt from what had been done to him. "Still sore are we? No surprise there, but you'll be even more so later when I take you again. You better rest while you can because later, things are gonna get rowdy again."

\---

Some miles away, the remains of the Aspen colony was approaching the river. All they had to do was find a safe way to cross it and they would be clear of Tourmaline's territory. Cyprus was keeping a close eye on Sky and the other colony members. He felt bad for having left their King behind and was debating on going back to find him. He couldn't help but recall his past with Queen Cherry.

They had been intimate for only one night, a night she told him to never tell anyone about. Queen Cherry had found out Aspen was sterile, a secret told to her by their doctor at the time. Even King Aspen had never been told, always being under the assumption that the lack of babies with his wife was because of either bad timing or medical reasons beyond their control. What followed was Queen Cherry making her way over to visit Cyprus, claiming she needed his spiritual guidance with her problems. What resulted was a one night stand between Cherry and Cyprus. She never told anyone about it and her having mated with Aspen around that same time pretty much convinced him that the boys were his when it came time for her to have them. Cyprus had watched from the sidelines, saying nothing about his affair with the beautiful Queen, or the fact that he was the biological father to her twin boys. He suspected spiritual abilities in the boys even when they were really young, noticing that when one of them got hurt, the other seemed to have pain in the same area at the same time. He kept tabs on them as they got older, noticing how they kept their spiritual talents hidden, especially from King Aspen. Since there was no spiritual talents at all on either Aspen's side of the family or Cherry's, their children having those talents would be a good indication to anyone that King Aspen was not the father.

Turning around, he noticed they had started to cross the river at an area that was mostly rocks and little water flow. He waits till they all had started going across before making his way back into Tourmaline's lair again, back towards the cave where Branch was being held captive. He would not leave their King behind. He mentally berated himself on that thought... their King. Bah! He would not abandon his SON.

...  
Next! :)


	4. chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sky encounters some problems after crossing the river. Cyprus heads back to save Branch. Branch has more issues because of Tourmaline.

Sky got everyone across the river as quickly as he could. He could tell the water levels were starting to change from melting snow and didn't want to risk the lives of the colony by waiting too long. Looking around once on the other side though, there was no signs of any clear path. The foliage ahead was thick and unyielding, many poisonous flowers lined the path, and there were thorn bushes as well, ones that could easily hurt them if they weren't super careful. He does a head count once everyone was across the water and frowns, noticing that Cyprus was missing. Considering their spiritual troll had just been with them the night before, Sky automatically knew that Cyprus had gone back to find Branch. As much as he appreciated Cyprus taking the initiative, he was worried that it might be too dangerous for him and that they might not see him again. Sky already suspected Cyprus of being his biological father, so losing him now before he had a chance to find out for sure was heartbreaking. He was already having a rough time coping with not having his brother there to guide them. Branch would know what to do in a situation like this, he was certain of it.

A couple of the colony scouts look around and point out a clear path they could take slightly north of their current location. Sky checks it out and nods, guiding everyone to it and leading the way towards the Eastern mountains. The path looked like it had been traveled before and was mostly rock, a fact which did not go unnoticed by many among them. Traveled roads close to Tourmaline's lair could easily become a problem for them. It left them exposed and vulnerable to not just Tourmaline, but also to predators of all kinds, Bergen's included. Granted, they had not seen any Bergen's for a while, but their luck could only hold out for so long. As they continued on, many of them were questioning where Cyprus was, only having just noticed he was not among them. Sky just looks at them and then back towards the other side of the river. "He... he went to go save Branch. I think he figured at least someone should and since not many of you respect him, I guess he felt he had to do it to prove himself."

Hearing what Sky said, they all hang their heads in shame. They knew Cyprus was pretty much always right, and his spiritual talents had helped them many times. They had always put him down though and never respected his opinions. He had saved them all from certain death many times over and never asked for anything in return. At that point, if they ever saw him again, they promised themselves they would thank him for all he had done for them and show him more respect and consideration. They knew he only did things to help them and they never expressed any gratitude. Hearing Prince Sky say what he did gave them all a sense of guilt. They really needed to mend the gap that had been made if they ever got the chance. They continue on the path to the East, being mindful of their surroundings and trying to stay as quiet as possible to avoid being noticed by predators.

\---

Heading back into Tourmaline's territory, Cyprus was starting to question his own sanity. Granted, he was doing this to save Branch, but he also wanted to prove to his colony members that he wasn't just a waste of space. He had so many spiritual talents, talents that clearly Branch and Sky had inherited from him, but few were willing to accept as being useful. His ability to see aura's had been useful only a couple times, identifying people who had darker intentions. He had tried to warn King Aspen many times about Wasp and her black aura, but the King had just called him overly paranoid and kept saying that Wasp was just a child and couldn't do anything like that. King Aspen found out the hard way about Wasp because he didn't want to listen to him about it.

As Cyprus continued on his way back, he makes sure to avoid the traps still out there, setting off many of them with well placed rock throws. Last thing he needed was for him and Branch to get caught by those traps on the way back through again. He had high hopes of reaching Branch and making his way back to the colony with him alive. He just hoped his son was okay. He wanted so much to tell him about everything, to tell him of the promise Cherry had made him keep. Now that she was gone along with King Aspen, he no longer had to hide anything, no longer had to keep his promise of silence to tell nobody. Branch and Sky technically were still royals because of Queen Cherry so their positions could not be taken from them, but the day that the colony finds out that King Aspen was not their father, it might or might not have negative results for the twin boys. With their leadership skills already proven though, it likely won't affect anything for them, at least he hoped it wouldn't. 

He looks at the surroundings as he goes along, noticing he was about a days journey away from the cave that he knew Branch had been dragged into. He had marked the trail on their way to the river, so following the trail on the way back was easier for him. His way of marking the trail though was not a visible one. He had rested his hand on many trees and vines along the way, leaving a spiritual mark on them. Since he could see those spiritual marks, he could easily trail them back to where they started. He quickly follows the trail back, hoping to reach Branch again before it was too late.

\---

Back at the cave, Tourmaline decided he was going to have some fun again and had already taken advantage of Branch at least a couple more times. He was paranoid and wanted to take out his paranoia on his captive, bruising Branch in multiple areas, spraining Branch's wrist when he tried to smack him because of the pain, and using his strength to his advantage. He loved feisty victims, but Branch was proving to be a bit much even for him to handle. He was starting to think it may have been a mistake taking him, or even leaving him conscious while having his way.

Branch was in severe pain at this point, whimpering constantly and barely able to stay awake. He could feel that Sky was worried about something and there was someone else poking at the edge of his mind, like someone else was thinking of him. He kinda hoped it was someone coming to save him, but he was unsure of it. His dreams lately had been dark, frightening, and bloody. He'd already been having nightmares of the rapes.. and it had only been a couple days now. He feared he would be having nightmares for quite some time, and paranoia also was settling in on him that he would wind up carrying the child of this guy. He seriously hoped he got lucky and managed to avoid getting pregnant, but only time would tell. 

The pain continued to get worse as the night settled in, Tourmaline not giving him any chance to rest. He was raped repeatedly, beaten to the point where he couldn't move, had bruises everywhere by this time, and even had a gash running down one side of his head. As the pain finally hit its peak, he passes out completely, unable to resist it any more. As darkness overcame his already pain filled mind, his thoughts went to Sky, praying he would be okay, sending him one message through their shared link. "Be safe for me Sky.. be safe." His mind blacks out as he does, the outside world fading into the darkness of the void as he slips into unconsciousness.

...  
*shudders* poor Branch... but don't worry.. he'll be saved soon.


	5. chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch has a spiritual dream that changes everything for him.

It was dark, too dark. His mind was lost in the darkness, or at least that's what he assumed. He turns and sees a spark of light in the distance and heads towards it, not realizing what it was, but wanting to reach it regardless. It was the only spark of light in this dark void and he wanted to touch it. Upon reaching it, he felt like he was falling, before landing on something soft. Looking up, he found himself in a large field of flowers in shades of blue, purple, mint green, pink, red, yellow, and various other colors. Upon seeing them, Branch knew right away he was having a spiritual type dream. He had experienced one many years ago, but it had been so brief, he had thought it didn't actually happen. This one felt very real, but felt like he had been called here from a distance.

Looking around, he felt strangely at peace. This place seemed to have a very calm presence to it, the same calmness he found meditation to bring to him. He rarely meditated out of fear of being seen, but in this place it didn't matter. He starts walking through the field, noticing how many of the flowers resembled his colors and that of his brother Sky. His current gray skin contrasted sharply with the vibrant tones of the blooms around him. Off in the distance, he could hear amazing singing. Walking towards it, the flowers fanned out to show a wide lake, by which sat a male troll with gorgeous purple skin, blue and green hair, and yellow pants. He couldn't help but admire this troll and the way their hair had a cute little flip in the back of it. "Hello?"

Rather startled by the voice, the lavender toned male stood up and looked his way, locking eyes with him. He gives him a quick look over and smiles gently at him. "Hello yourself. You seem a little lost. Not used to these spiritual areas are you?"

"Actually no. I have spent years hiding my ability because of my father, or who I assumed was my father. Neither he nor my mother had spiritual ability nor did their parents or grandparents. I have a feeling that he wasn't even my father, in all honesty. Me and my brother.. we share a bond where we can feel each others pain. I know thats not normal for anyone not spiritual. Honestly, I have no idea how to even use my talents." He shakes his head. "Oh my, where are my manners? I'm Branch.. the uhhh.. current King of the Aspen colony. You are?"

Creek looks surprised at that bit of information and looks him over again. "My name is Creek. Actually, I too have a brother. His name is Stream and he and I are nearly identical in every way except for our hair. Where mine starts blue and goes green, his starts green and goes blue. Easiest way to tell us apart. Our spiritual talents are slightly different too but not by much. He doesn't really know how to do these spiritual landscapes like I do. It's not an easy talent to say the least. Just so you know, we're also part of King Peppy's colony. We heard that your colony is trying to find us and we have tried everything to go as slow as possible so you could catch up to us. We heard about your problems along the way though and we really hope things are going okay for you."

Branch shakes his head. "Actually, things are not going okay. I've been taken captive by Tourmaline and unfortunately, he has taken advantage of me several times already. I told my brother to lead the colony of whats left of it out of Tourmaline's territory. I used myself as a decoy to keep him occupied so they could escape, but I'm not sure if or when I'll be able to escape him. I don't want his baby, but unfortunately, it might happen whether I want it to or not. I don't know what to do Creek. I am so lost and so confused right now. I'm honestly not even sure I'll be able to trust anyone for quite a while. Even being near you right now is taking some effort on my part because of whats already happened to me. It's only been a couple days and I've already started having nightmares about it too." He starts shaking and sobbing knowing how bad things have been.

Creek tears up as well, hating to see anyone have to go through that. Very gently, he curls his arms around Branch and holds him. "I'll be here for you if you need me. I went through something similar as a child. I had a really bad uncle who took advantage of my innocence when I was only 10 years old, same with my brother Stream. He took our innocence from us and then tried to say that we asked him to do it. My father believed him and beat me and my brother really badly and he's been very abusive ever since, at least till a month ago when he died because of a Tokami that ran through the area and snatched up about 20 of our colony. If you need me for anything, try to reach out to me. I'll listen for your call."

Releasing Branch from the hug, Creek gently places a kiss on his forehead and steps back from him. "I'm being called back, so I must leave you now. I will try to contact you again when possible. Be safe till then Branch and hopefully someday soon, we can meet in person."

Branch nods and gently smiles at him. "Thank you Creek. At least now, I have something to give me a little hope in the future. I really hope we get to meet in person soon." Looking up, he notices things starting to fade around him and shudders. "I don't want to be lost to the darkness again, but I guess I have no choice for now. Hope to see you soon Creek." He whimpers as the darkness once again envelops him and the field of flowers and lake vanishes.

Waking up a bit, Branch glances to the side and notices Tourmaline standing by the cave entrance, looking furious about something. For a few moments, he could make out the form of another troll, hopefully one coming to help him. As they approach, Branch's eyes go wide in surprise as to who it was. He wasn't expecting anyone to be back that quickly.

...  
had to toss in a little Branch/Creek moment :)


	6. chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch finds out a long kept secret

Tourmaline was not pleased, not at all. Staring him down close to the entrance was Cyprus and neither looked happy to see the other. Tourmaline scowls slightly and shifts his eyes between Cyprus and Branch, questioning if he should just kill them both, or hold them both captive. "You are a fool coming back. Couldn't stay away huh? Come to rescue your king?" He narrows his eyes at Cyprus, daring him to try any sudden moves.

"Rescue my King? No. I came to rescue my SON... and I will not hold back on trying to kill you to set him free." Cyprus glances over at Branch, noticing the confused look on his face before realization dawned on him of what was said. "I won't let you continue to have your way with him. Either hand him over peacefully, or we'll have to fight it out. I won't give up trying though, so don't for one moment think I'm gonna be easy to take out." Cyprus glances at Branch again and notices the large gash down the side of his head and the broken leg which looked really painful. He growls slightly while turning back towards Tourmaline. "There was no need to hurt him like that."

"There was every need. He would have run away had I not broken his leg. The gash was a result of a punishment I dealt on him for being uncooperative. He would have had far less pain to deal with if he had just been more cooperative." He smirks all evil like for a moment. "Now, enough chit chat. Are we going to fight? Or do you think you can simply walk out of here with him? As far as I'm concerned, that answer is NO." Tourmaline darts forwards and slashes out at Cyprus, hoping to catch him off guard. He grazes the edge of Cyprus' arm, causing him to flinch away a moment. "I will not willingly give him up. You'll have to kill me to take him away."

"That can be arranged." Cyprus flicks his hair out, managing to snap it across Tourmaline's face, slicing a cut across his cheekbone. He was trying to push Tourmaline away from Branch, but it seemed his opponent was keen on staying close to his victim, likely in hopes of slowing down Cyprus' assault in fear of hitting Branch accidentally. He scowls noticing that and crouches down, managing to sweep Tourmaline's legs out from under him and hitting the ground hard not too far from where Branch was laying. Seeing an opportunity, Cyprus pulls his knife from his hair and tackles Tourmaline, getting into a struggle with him. The knife was being pushed towards Tourmaline's head, but because of his strength, he was able to keep the knife far enough away to see it clearly. During the struggle, the knife was able to slice Cyprus several times across the arm, but because of his focus, he didn't even notice it happen.

Branch notices an opportunity to help and whips his hair out, wrapping it around Tourmaline's wrists and yanking his arms backwards above his head and off the knife. It took a lot of effort on his part to do this though because of the head injury he currently had. It was hurting badly from the strain he was putting on it. He nods to Cyprus who swiftly takes his chance and slams his knife down into Tourmaline's head right between the eyes. Cyprus snears a moment and says one last thing to Tourmaline before his spirit left him. "You will never hurt my son or anyone else ever again." He keeps the knife embedded while Tourmaline's body spasm's and jerks before finally going still. Branch releases his hold, only to pass out from the pain in his head. He had done all he could do for now and was hoping to see his brother again soon.

Cyprus stands up slowly, noticing he had been cut in several spots and not even remembering how it happened. He had several cuts along his arm, one across his head, a small gash down one leg, and an abrasion across his knee where he had slid across the hard rocks in order to pin Tourmaline to the ground. All in all, he wasn't too bad off, but he could easily tell that Branch was bad off. Seeing him naked with multiple bruises and gashes did not sit well with him. He notices Branch's clothes nearby and carefully redresses him, mindful of the broken leg until he could find a way to get a splint on it. After he finished getting him dressed again, he looks around hoping to find something to use as a splint. He locates some beams of wood on the far end of the cave and checks the sizes. A couple of them were perfect size and he brings them over while yanking some cord out of his hair he usually kept there for emergency use. He had to reset Branch's leg, causing him to scream in pain for a moment. "I am so sorry, I had to do that to get it to heal straight." He felt so bad for having to do that but knew it was necessary for it to heal properly.

Branch opens his eyes painfully and looks up at him. "I know.. but it still hurt bad. Tell me.. honestly, are you really my father?"

...  
small chapter.. but had to get Cyprus to come to the rescue.. plus I suck at fighting scenes.. more so than lemons lol


	7. chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cyprus tells Branch the truth, a truth long held secret from everyone.

Cyprus nods to Branch's question for a moment. "I think we better start heading back to the colony before I get into details. Thats a secret that has been held since your conception, not just from you and your brother, but from everyone." He helps Branch up, wrapping his arm around him to give him some way of walking. He knew it would take time to get back to the colony, especially with how injured Branch was. They were quiet for the better part of an hour before Branch started getting super tired and needed to sit down. It was almost midday, so the temperatures were getting warmer, making things seem hotter around them.

"Good idea, a rest is nice. At least this way, we can discuss things as we should." Cyprus glances over at Branch and offers him a bottle of water. "Things have not been easy. The secret, like I said, has been kept since your conception. Your mother, she came to me one evening. She was upset and withdrawn, having just found out that Aspen was sterile. For a long time, I guess Cherry blamed herself, thinking it was her that was unable to have children, but apparently it wasn't her at all. She had been informed by one of the medics who had checked King Aspen for anything that might prevent him from getting her pregnant. He was never told the truth, or at least that's what I was told. I figure that if he ever had been told the truth, he would have known right away that you and Sky were not his son's. Your mother wanted spiritual guidance to find out what she should do. She desperately wanted to have children and wanted Aspen to have them too. With him being sterile though, she knew her only option was to mate with another and then hide that fact from everyone. Your mother made me promise that I would never reveal her affair so long as King Aspen was alive. Your mother would have been sentenced to death had anyone caught wind of her affair, her and the two of you at the same time. They would never have allowed you two to be born had they known you weren't Aspen's kids. I was sworn to secrecy, a secret I could not reveal till Aspen's death. I would have told you sooner, but with things the way they have been, there was no time."

Branch quietly drinks some of the water, listening to what was being said. "I understand. The one we thought was our father, we always suspected he wasn't. For one, his colors didn't match ours, not even close. My mother was a cherry red color and he was an orange red. That combination does not create blue, not even a remotely close color to it. That plus our talents we had ever since we were kids, we tried to hide it from everyone. Me and Sky, we share a bond where we can feel each others pain, sometimes even hear each others thoughts, know when the other is in danger or stressed out. Nobody in our mom's line or our dad's line has anyone even remotely spiritual, so how we got ours didn't add up. We knew something was off about it but we had no way of knowing anything. If we had even tried to find out, he would have found out and we didn't want to risk anything bad happening. I think he started noticing things after a while though. He would watch us very closely at times, noticing little things that seemed too much like coincidence to him. Our shared pain was the biggest thing, he didn't know what to think of it at first but then he noticed it happened several times. He even commented on it once, mentioning he found it quite odd that we seemed to share our pain. Mom always made an excuse, saying it was a twin thing, that twins naturally felt each others pain. He seemed to accept it, but he still kept a close eye on us."

Cyprus smiles a moment when Branch opens up to him like that. "I know what you mean. It wasn't easy keeping things a secret from you boys all these years. So many times I wanted to tell you both everything, but with Aspen still there, I couldn't chance him finding out and slaughtering all of you. You see, my parents were no different. My father was also sterile, but in the case of my mother, she didn't try to hide the fact that she slept with another in order to give my father a child. He kept me around for a while, till I hit my teens anyways, but after my mother had weened me as a baby, he killed her for betraying him and sleeping with another who was not her mate. My biological father was extremely spiritual, having talents almost unheard of by many. His greatest skill was his ability to see over distances without actually having to be there. He was the one to tell our colony about the valley in the mountains, having seen it in his minds eye. The sight he had showed dozens of other colonies already there and waiting. He also warned us about the Bergen attacks to come, giving us as much notice as 2 months ahead. We had plenty of time to prepare because for the most part, he was classified as an oracle. I didn't gain those abilities of his, but I am hoping one of you boys did. I know your talents are different, that much is already obvious. Sky was displaying more ability than you were Branch, unless you're extremely adept at hiding it."

Branch smirks playfully and pops Cyprus with his hair. "You dare assume your King would lie about things? For shame." He chuckles since he was saying that in a teasing way, getting Cyprus to laugh along him with and pulling him into a gentle hug. "I can understand why you hid things though, and I can't say I blame you. He would never have forgiven you, or mom. He would have had us all killed for treason in one form or another. Maybe in a way, it's good that I'm now King of the colony. If anyone finds out now, they can do nothing about it as its not something unknown to me now." He gently tries to stand up, getting help from Cyprus as he does so. "We need to keep moving though. The sooner we catch up to the colony, the better I'll feel. Sky is not doing well. Even from here, I can tell he's worried about us, worried we might not make it back to him."

Cyprus shakes his head. "Call to him then. I'm sure at the very least, he'll be able to hear you in his thoughts. Tell him you're okay and we'll be back with them soon." He taps Branch on the head a moment and gets him to close his eyes. "Focus on him and him only, then send the message. Make it short and to the point. Anything too long might not get through."

Branch nods and closes his eyes, focusing on his brother. "Sky, hear me, I'm okay. We're on our way back to you." Opening his eyes afterwards, he looks at Cyprus again. "Not sure it went through, but I hope it did." He looks towards the East as they start back up again, making their way slowly and carefully back through the maze of traps in Tourmaline's lair.

Some miles away on the far side of the river, Sky stops a moment and smiles. He had managed to hear the quiet message in his mind and nods to himself. He looks back at the colony, noticing how tired they all looked. By that time, it was starting to get close to afternoon, so a rest stop was in order. They found some shelter under some large mushrooms and settle down for a little rest. He was glad to know Branch was okay, and soon he would be able to hold him again and comfort him. He knew Branch was going to need all the support he could get upon his return.

...  
boop :)


	8. chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch and Cyprus continue their way back towards Sky and the rest of the colony.

Over the course of the next week and many stops, Branch and Cyprus made their way back towards the colony. They would have made it back within a couple days had it not been for Branch's head injury and pain he was in from being repeatedly raped. They had to make multiple stops because he kept getting dizzy and light headed, not to mention the constant problem of getting sick because of the head injury. For the first 48 hours, Cyprus tried all he could to make sure Branch stayed awake. The head injury was severe enough, that had he fallen asleep in that first 48 hours, he likely wouldn't have woken up again. It was starting to heal over now, but it was still causing him massive headaches and issues with coordination.

They had managed to cross the river during the night, having to be cautious while doing so. The water levels had increased over the last few days from snow melting and causing the river to flood slightly. They could make out the tracks of the colony for a short distance on the other side of the river. Cyprus kept track of Branch as they walked along, making sure he was okay. They had managed to form a tight bond over the last week, confiding in each other about everything, including their worries about what lay ahead of them when they managed to reach the other colony. During that week, Branch had also told Cyprus about his spiritual talks with Creek, gaining a soft and knowing smile from Cyprus in the process. Just mentioning Creek's name seemed to cause Branch to get a lovestruck look in his eyes, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. Cyprus of course said nothing, not wanting to embarrass his son, but knowing that such a connection would help Branch to pull through his situation and help him get past it.

It was the middle of the night when Cyprus and Branch found the colony again, earning them both a ton of hugs. Most of the hugs caused Branch to cringe in pain, but he endured it because he knew they didn't mean to hurt him. Sky was right there next, pulling Branch into a firm hug and running a hand through his brothers royal blue/purple hair. Sky was the only one that Branch ever allowed to touch his hair in such a way, mainly because they were brothers and had always been close in that way. Anyone else touching his hair in such a way made Branch flinch away, thinking it was much too intimate an act for them to do. He wasn't attracted to any of those who were doing this.

Branch sighs as he starts getting yelled at for being reckless and irresponsible, regardless of his intentions. They knew he wanted to keep them safe, but offering himself as he did to be a decoy, they felt was unacceptable. He nods knowing why they all thought this way, trying to see things from their perspective. Had they lost him entirely, the colony would likely not know what to do. Granted, Sky would have been able to take over as King, but that was besides the point. Branch was more assertive than his brother, knew how to handle stress better, and knew how to handle the kids better. Several of the kids had attached themselves to Branch and couldn't imagine not having him around.

They all settle in for the night and sleep until past sunrise. Branch had to be taken care of by the healers, causing them to be more tired than normal after handling the extensive injuries. Branch's head injury had been worse than he originally thought it to be, luckily not causing any permanent damage. As they continue on their way, they couldn't help but be jumpy about every little sound around them. Even with Branch back with them, they weren't taking chances that someone might be following them in order to do them harm.

A short ways behind the colony, Thorn was tracking them and wasn't happy. He had gone through his uncle's territory and saw what was left of his uncle. He was seriously upset and wanted to try to avenge his uncle by causing problems for the colony. He wasn't as quick on coming up with plans as his uncle, but with enough time, he was certain he could come up with something to make their journey East a little rougher.

...  
short update :)


	9. chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The remains of the Aspen colony finally manages to catch up to the Troll Village colony.

It took another week, a very long week, before the Aspen colony was able to make better progress over the terrain. Branch had to be healed a couple times because the healers of his colony were so exhausted from trying to tend to him repeatedly. He hated that they used up so much energy on him, but they insisted that he be in top form before they reached the other colony. They didn't want to risk that things might go badly upon their arrival. None of them knew about Thorn following them, so they weren't sure what to think when he walked randomly into the midst of them and walked over to Branch and Sky. Unknown to Thorn, Branch had recently spoken to Creek in the spiritual meetings, and Creek had warned him about Thorn and who he was.

Thorn notices the weird looks he was getting before addressing Branch and Sky. "I was sent to you from King Peppy's colony. They wanted me to make sure all of you were okay and that you made it to them safely." He looks at the expressions of the young King and Prince, noticing the skeptical looks they both gave him. Branch looks him over a moment, noticing the subtle hints of nervousness in the male before him. "Well, I have a hard time believing you. I've been in touch with the Troll Village colony recently and they already informed me that nobody was sent to check on us. Mind at least telling me your name?"

Thorn gets slightly more nervous hearing that and nods. "It's Thorn. I was sent from that colony. King Peppy is getting old and senile and doesn't always remember everything he does anymore." Branch shakes his head hearing the name and explanation before smacking Thorn aside with his hair. "You lie. I've been in touch with them and they say you're Tourmaline's nephew. You are not from that colony and you will not fool me. I've been through hell from your uncle, and I will not allow you to do as you please to me or my colony." He stands aside as several members of his colony grab Thorn and start beating him up, taking out their frustrations on the one that was partly responsible for all their problems. Over the last week, they had to deal with multiple instances of things falling on them, wild animals chasing them at random times, unexpected noises in the middle of the night to scare them, even loud stomping noises making them think the Bergen's were nearby. They later found no traces of Bergen's and realized it was someone trying to scare them. The wild animals chasing them though, with how random it was and the types involved, they knew they had to have been lured there by someone. Knowing that Thorn was Tourmaline's nephew gave them the answers as to who was responsible.

After beating him up badly, they chase him out of the area and prayed they never had to see him again. Continuing on their way afterwards, they chanced upon an area covered in Bergen footprints and broken flower pods of various sizes and colors. Branch shudders a moment, realizing that this had to be what was left of the Troll village colony's home, a home they had to leave because of constant attacks. He glances around and notices a small trail which led towards the lake just to the east of the destroyed colony and leads his own colony towards it quickly, wanting to make sure to not be caught out in the open by any Bergen's that may or may not still be in the area. He certainly did not want to take chances at this point.

It was already starting to get dark, but they felt they were close to reaching the other colony, so they continued on their way, praying that the nighttime predators were not around. They stuck close together so that way everyone was within view. They didn't want to risk having too much space between them in case of problems. They had to stay close at that point in order to stay safe. 

Sky perks up a little bit when he hears music off in the distance. It wasn't overly loud so it had to be close to them, but with the acoustic qualities of the area, they could be as far as a mile away. Multi-colored lights from a short distance away however, told them otherwise. They reach the edge of a field and survey the colony before them, noticing how the colony was trying to have some fun but still trying to keep the noise level down to a minimum. They didn't want to get caught by the Bergen's and as such, decided that a volume half of what it typically would be was the better option.

Many of King Peppy's colony turn towards them when they approach, surprised at their sudden appearance. Princess Poppy walks over and smiles at the colony, noticing that all of them except for Branch and Sky had their colors. Her eyes swept over Branch and Sky a moment, noticing how they appeared to be twins and how, even with them being gray, they were both quite handsome. Her eyes landed on Sky though, seeing the softness in his eyes. It was definitely different than the assertive look in Branch's eyes. "Hey there, I'm Princess Poppy. King Peppy is my father. I'm guessing you all are part of the Aspen colony, yes?"

Branch nods to her. "We are indeed. I'm the current King, Branch." He motions to his brother a moment. "This is my twin brother, Prince Sky. Our colony has gone through many problems, but it's nice to finally be caught up to all of you." He looks around as various members of King Peppy's colony walk over to check them out. He keeps his eyes away from most of them until they lock with a familiar set of gorgeous lavender eyes, causing him to blush a darker gray in the cheeks. Seeing the grin on Creek's face told him that he had seen that and tries to shake his head to clear it. Sky was laughing at him slightly, earning him a slight smack across the backside by Branch's hair for being bad. Sky squeaks and raises an eye at his brother before turning back to Poppy.

"Don't mind my brother, he's been through a lot lately. Our whole colony has been through so much. Hopefully we can get along and manage to make our way to the valley together." He smiles slightly at Poppy, earning an excited grin from her and a bright red blush on her face. This was an interesting start to their meeting and it was bound to get better over time, or at least they hoped so.

...  
TADA!! :)


	10. chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two colonies unite under 1 leadership and start their way East towards the mountains.

The colonies looked at each other a few moments before they started grouping together to talk. King Peppy wanted to speak with Branch and Sky and see what they intended to do. Things had been bad for both of their colonies no thanks to Tourmaline and a couple of the kids he had fathered. The mothers who had been raped and were the mothers to the bad kids were grateful those kids were gone. They didn't even feel remorse for their loss, knowing that after they had killed so many, they got what they deserved.

King Peppy walks over to Branch and Sky, noticing that they were still gray despite now being in better company. Sky seemed to be more willing to be around others, but Branch was jumpy and on edge about anyone being near him, especially other males. He seemed to be moderately okay with Creek being near him, but as far as touching, he flinched away every time Creek tried to even touch his hand. He had a feeling it was because of what happened to him during their travels. He walks closer and clears his throat, nodding to Creek to give him and Branch some time to talk. Creek nods and steps away, looking at Branch one more time before wandering off to go talk to the other colony members.

"Apparently things did not go well for you, King Branch. Your brother wasn't really wanting to tell me much, saying it wasn't his place to tell me. I can understand that, but just know that none of us here will harm you in any way, at least not intentionally." He sits next to Branch on the mushroom cap, noticing the young King scoot away from him a little bit. "I can understand why you're nervous about all this. A couple of your colony members mentioned you were captured by Tourmaline, but they didn't know what all had occurred during your time in his lair. Do you want to maybe talk about it?"

Branch keeps his head turned away and his voice was shaky when he spoke. "He.. raped me... repeatedly, broke my leg, gashed the side of my head, pretty much tortured me while trying to get me pregnant. I don't know who to trust right now. I know I can trust my brother, but as far as anyone else, I honestly have no idea. I've been lied to my whole life, betrayed, and then recently found out that the one I thought was my father... wasn't." He glances towards Cyprus a moment who was staying close to Sky to keep watch over him. "Cyprus is my real father.. mine and Sky's. We found out he had been sworn to secrecy, to never tell anyone about his being our father while King Aspen was alive. We were under the assumption for years that King Aspen was our father, only to find out he wasn't. My mother made Cyprus hide the truth, to keep her safe and us. Had King Aspen found out, he would have killed mom and would never have allowed me and Sky to even be born. I guess after all this, I have some serious trust issues. Sky is more willing to trust, but only because he hasn't been through what I have. I have been his protector our whole lives, making sure that he would never have to endure the same troubles that I had to endure." He glances down a moment when he feels a hand on his own, noticing King Peppy was trying to comfort him. He didn't pull away even though he was visibly shaking. "Forgive me, I'm just overly paranoid right now. Even a touch like that has me on edge. I know you don't mean me harm, but after what I went through, it may be some time before I can fully trust anyone... including you."

King Peppy removes his hand, understanding now why he was so nervous around anyone. "I understand. I do have something important to ask you though. With our colonies now together, are we going to head East as 2 separate colonies, or would you like to join our 2 colonies as one? We would have to decide that eventually, especially if your colony members decided to take mates from among mine, but I wanted to bring it up to you to see what you thought about it." Branch gives him a strange look for a moment, having not even thought that far ahead. "I don't know honestly. I didn't even consider that far in advance. I likely should have but considering all of what we have been through, it wasn't at the front of my mind. We were more concerned about staying alive and finding all of you."

Branch gets up a moment and steps away from the mushroom, looking thoughtful about the question. He glances over towards the 2 colonies, noticing the interaction between them. He notices Sky talking to Princess Poppy and how she seemed to be flirting with him. He notices a silvery glitter troll near them as well, doing the same thing as Poppy and flirting openly with Sky. He raises an eye at that, noticing the darker gray toned blush on Sky's face and chuckles lightly. "Seems my brother may have made the choice for me, King Peppy." He turns and glances at the aging King. "I think uniting as a single colony would be a good idea. Me and Sky will keep our titles though, but I will allow you to govern both of our colonies until you decide otherwise. At least by taking that burden off my shoulders for now, I might have time to heal both physically and mentally." He turns and nods to Peppy to seal the agreement on that. "I have a lot of healing to do, and it will take a lot of time. It's likely going to take months for me to get back to normal, so if I seem snappy or jumpy, just please overlook it. I won't mean to be that way, it'll just be a normal thing until I can move on from what happened. I'm also overly paranoid that Tourmaline may have successfully gotten me pregnant. I don't know for sure on that, but it's possible."

Peppy nods a moment in response. "Very well, I will take over both colonies for now. As for if you're pregnant or not, our medics would be able to tell you, that plus our spiritual trolls would be able to see the aura of another life within you if there is one to be found. Give it a week or two and either of them will be able to tell you for sure. Our spiritual trolls are Creek, Stream, and Wind. Wind isn't quite as far along on his talents as Creek and Stream, but he's getting there. Creek is our colony guru and Stream, who happens to be his nearly identical twin brother, is our colonies guidance counselor.. so to speak. The only way to tell Creek and Stream apart is the hair for the most part, well that and subtle height differences. Creek is slightly taller than Stream, but not by much." Peppy looks Branch over a moment and then glances at Sky, noticing pretty much everything identical. "Umm, is there an easy way to tell you and Sky apart?"

Branch chuckles for a moment and nods. "Yes, I have more of an assertive look to my gaze where his gaze is softer. That and when we have color, his hair takes on a flower bud appearance, like one thats not quite ready to open yet. Mine kinda blooms out like a lotus flower. Other than that, the only main differences between us is our preferences. He likes both males and females and I just prefer other males. He likes glitter, I don't.. or at least not as much as he does. I like quiet and he's more outgoing and willing to go to parties and such. It'll be more obvious when you all get to know us a bit better."

Peppy laughs a moment and shakes his head. "Okay then, but when it comes to other males, what kind of traits do you look for? We have many males in the colony that are single." Branch shakes his head a moment and blushes lightly. "I adore the color purple.. and your guru over there is such a lovely shade of it. I also like spiritual types, so it's convenient that he's a combination of everything.. purple, male, spiritual.. and his brother is identical to him?" He looks over as Peppy nods to that. "Oh my, well, I might wind up chasing both of them eventually." He smirks slightly at the shocked look on Peppy's face at that. "It's going to be a while though. Right now, I'm too paranoid to even have anyone other than Sky touch me, so don't worry. I'm not going to go out of my way to jump Creek and his brother until things have calmed down for me." He looks over towards Creek, seeing him talking to his twin and silently admires the two handsome males. His gaze momentarily lingers on their hair, wondering how it would feel to run his hands through it. He shakes his head free of those thoughts for now, blushing bright red when he notices Creek and Stream looking his way and snickering at catching him staring at them.

"Anyways..." He quickly clears his throat and looks at Peppy. "I think we better get moving again. The sooner we get away from this area thats frequented by Bergen's and Tokami and other predators, the better I will feel about this whole thing." He heads towards the rest of the colony as Peppy agrees and they split up to tell their colonies to prep to leave again. They had only just arrived but they were more than eager to get away from the Bergen's and other predators. Once packed up and ready, they start heading East again, regardless of how dark it was outside. They only travel for a couple hours before deciding to settle in among a flower field for the night, hiding under mushrooms to conceal themselves while they rested. It was going to be a long and scary journey to the mountains but one they would endure together as a single colony.

...  
boop lol


	11. chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An accident causes the two colonies to unite even tighter than before

The two colonies, now combined as one, wake up around 10am and start heading East again. They wanted to get to the mountains as quickly as they could and certainly didn't want to waste time. Sky was walking along with Guy Diamond and Poppy, talking to the two of them almost like they were old friends instead of having just met. Many of the other trolls were staying clustered together, mostly because of the phrase that there was safety in numbers. Once to the top of a large hill, they stop to look at the terrain ahead of them. What they saw chilled them to the bone.

The terrain ahead looked like a battle field. There were snares in plain view and they were certain many more still concealed. Many areas looked like things had exploded as there was burn marks in random spots. What they didn't realize was that this was the remains of another troll village that had been decimated by the Bergens. Paths led in random directions away from the village remnants, several of which led East towards the now visible mountain range. From where the trolls stood, they could easily see that the mountain range was far enough away that it would take a couple months to reach it. What worried them most about the view was there wasn't any visible edible vegetation or water supplies.

As they start making their way across the terrain, they try different routes that looked easier for those traveling them. The kids and elderly took the flatter paths, while the trolls pushing carts of supplies took the clearly marked paths of carts used by others. All the other trolls went in random directions around the snares and obstacles. Creek and Stream had gone separate routes, finding various items that might be of use to them along the way. Several trolls scream when one of the snares gets tripped and the scream of pain from a male troll sounds out. Sounds of choking followed before they realized that Stream had been caught in a snare and was being strangled slowly by the thick wire.

Branch, seeing that from his location, runs over towards Stream and quickly cuts the wiring, worried about the spiritual troll the entire time. Stream collapses into Branch's arms once he was loose but his breathing was ragged and there was a visible cut along his throat from where the wire had started to break skin. The healers quickly run over and start doing their work, worried for the handsome male that was currently in Branch's arms. They looked surprised that Branch was actually the one to help him considering what he had gone through not too long ago. They were finding it nice that he was actually making physical contact with a male other than his brother after his ordeal with Tourmaline. They didn't know just how traumatic an experience it had been for Branch, but they could easily see the effects it had on him from recent behavior.

As the healers tended to Stream's neck, they sneaked peeks at Branch, noticing how upset he appeared to be about this whole ordeal and how he was trying to hide it. They knew Branch didn't like showing weakness in front of others, but instead acted like he was always okay. They admired that about the young king, knowing that a leader had to set an example to his people. If he was to show any weakness in front of them, some might question his leadership abilities. They figured he didn't want anyone questioning his leadership abilities, having led them this far with his brother's help. 

Stream groans in pain a bit, causing Branch to glance down at him. It was obvious Branch was concerned by that time, gaining looks not just from members of his own colony, but also those from King Peppy's group. They go wide-eyed when Branch hesitantly runs his hand through the end of Stream's hair in a comforting way. Stream blushes a bit feeling that, knowing how intimate of an act some would interpret that as being. He knew that it was just for comfort, but trying to tell others that would be a trick in itself. Stream turns and leans into the touch, curling his hair around Branch's wrist in the process. He was still having issues speaking after what happened, but he seemed okay to be in Branch's arms like he was. It made him feel strangely complete, like a piece of himself that had been missing for so long.

Branch gets startled a moment when Creek comes over and lays a hand on his shoulder, stifling a squeak when Creek hugs him and Stream at the same time, having been worried about both of them. Branch glances at Creek a moment then back at Stream again and tries to hide a grin. Maybe being around these two males wouldn't be so bad for him. He knew it would be a long time before he returned to his normal self, but now he knew that he needed help to get through it, help that Creek and Stream seemed willing to give him.

...  
next :)


	12. chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things go from bad to slightly better as the colony heads East

A very long week had passed since the near death of Stream. Branch had insisted on keeping a close eye on both him and Creek while monitoring his brother and other colony members as well. Regardless of Branch having given King Peppy full control over both colonies, he still wanted to keep track of everyone in case problems arose during their journey. Regardless of everyone being okay though, Branch seemed a bit more depressed than normal. He had been watching his brother and noticed the flirting between him, Poppy, and Guy Diamond. His ears drooped even more as he saw the blush on Sky's face and the glint of happiness in his eyes, being slightly jealous of his brother but knowing that he was happy because of Branch's own sacrifice. Had Branch not done what he did in Tourmaline's lair, it would likely be him in Sky's position and not the other way around. He did what he did in order for Sky to live a full and happy life and the same for the other colony members. If it meant for Branch to sacrifice his own happiness to ensure that, then so be it.

Stream had been mostly quiet during the last week since the accident, pretty much staying glued to Creek's side. He was overly paranoid about being too far from his brother after his near-death experience. He glances over towards Branch, noticing his ears droop lower than normal, making him more concerned about the young King. He nudges Creek a moment and motions towards Branch, noticing how his skin seemed to turn slightly more gray as they both looked his way. This concerned both of them, knowing they had to do something soon to fix the problem. They notice the direction of Branch's gaze and look towards Sky where he was being openly flirted with by Poppy and Guy. They both let out a soft sigh, knowing now why Branch seemed to be more depressed. He needed what Sky was being openly given, but was afraid to get near anyone after his ordeal. To break the shell Branch had put around himself was not going to be easy, but they had to try.

As they continued towards the East, they kept on guard and made sure they weren't being followed. Many of them had already paired off and were doing casual flirting with each other. They look off to one side and notice a golden glitter troll with blue eyes named Citrine who was being flirted with by Biggie, the large blue troll from King Peppy's colony. Citrine had been born and raised in the same colony but his parents had been part of the Aspen colony originally. Not too far away, DJ Suki was busy flirting with a pale floral colored troll named Laurel. It was obvious that Laurel was shy because he had a persistent blush on his face. Branch sighs looking at all the couples as they paired off and sneaks a peek over at Creek and Stream. As much as he wanted to join up with them, his ordeal with Tourmaline had him shaken to the point where he was worried about getting too close to anyone. He looks at the couples again, snickering slightly as he noticed Smidge chasing around Jadice who was the same size she was. He shakes his head slightly, feeling slightly jealous that everyone else was finding their happiness and here he was, too paranoid to even try.

It was a couple days later that the colony reached the edge of a large wooded area. Many of the trolls were paranoid about going through there, but the trail that had led them in this direction, clearly led through the woods. It didn't seem to deviate from the path and seemed to go in a straight line. Looking around, they notice many types of wildflowers, many of which were poisonous to birds and most of the predatory species that prowled the area. Noticing this, they started heading into the woods, opting to stay together in a large group in case of problems. They followed the trail that was clearly marked from previous carts being pulled through the region, not wanting to go off the path for fear of getting lost and not finding their way back again. The forest around them was dark and very dense, the trees so close together that if anything was to come through them, it would be heard quite clearly.

It took 2 days for the colony to reach the other side of the woods. Thankfully, it had been uneventful and they had managed to make it through without any loss of life. The amount of food they had found along the way, they were sure would last them at least a week or more. They had filled up every available slot in backpacks or on the carts being pulled with food supplies and medicinal herbs they had collected while going through the woods. During the nights, they had taken refuge in fallen trees and under bushes, not making much noise as they did so. They didn't want to take any chances that their luck may not hold up.

The same day they left the woods, a commotion started up among the colony. Creek and Stream wander over to see what was going on, only to notice Guy and Poppy protecting a very handsome teal blue troll with royal blue hair that looked like a flower bud. Looking closely, they widen their eyes in shock as they realize that it was Sky, his colors having just been restored thanks to Guy and Poppy. Creek glances at Stream a moment then glances towards Branch, seeing the depressed look on his face, realizing that Sky and Branch were identical twins. He clearly remembered the spiritual dreamscape he had with Branch during his trip to find them, only having known Branch as being gray. Now knowing what color Branch really was, Creek and Stream both release a soft purring sound, thoughts of ravaging Branch when they could filling their naughty minds. They mentally slap themselves a moment, knowing they had to go slow with Branch because of his ordeal, but now knowing what colors he had, things were soon going to get quite interesting.

Branch was quite eager to get his colors back when he notices Sky was restored to his and happens to glances at Creek and Stream. He momentarily locks eyes with each of them, silently pleading with them to help him, to be the support he needed to get through all this. Exhaustion starts to overtake him at that point since he hadn't slept in the last couple days, the last thing he could recall was falling into Creek and Stream's arms before falling into a deep sleep, one he desperately needed.

...  
Gonna end part 2 right here. Part 3 will have the main pairings and those will be listed at the start of part 3. :)


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